Cologne

This is my second fragrance from this impressive house. I'm particularly drawn to cologne style fragrances and this is a wonderfully executed example, reminiscent of Neroli Portofino and Cologne Indelebile, but with a greener element. The perfume itself is a representation of an imaginery meeting between Rodrigo Flores-Roux, the perfumer who created this gem and Paul Vacher, the owner of the original Le Galion perfume house; sharing a cocktail and a cigar in the gardens of the Mansion house of Le Galion on a summers afternoon, in the shade of blossoming orange trees. Bitter Orange / Bergamot / Lemon / Orange Blossom to represent the orange trees Juniper Berries / Angelica root for the Martini Cocktail Eau de Brouts / Clary Sage to recall the smell of cigar ash Honeysuckle and Galbanum for the evocation of the gardens and the smell emanating from Ivy. It opens with a blast of sharp citrus as you would expect, before the softer floral notes give it some depth and soften the edges. There's a greeness to the perfume and I also get the faint representation of the cigar smoke from the Clary Sage. A slight muskiness holds it altogether. It really does represent the garden in the imagined scene although I'm missing the Martini. Overall, this perfume is bright, slightly floral, green and clean. There's nothing groundbreaking here and I don't think the perfume is as complicated as the imaginary meeting would suggest; in some ways it is a shame that this cologne doesn't veer too far from a well-trodden path. A more prominent cigar-ash note could have added another dimension. However, it's still a wonderful creation. It's beautifully presented too, with the lovely cylindrical glass bottles used by this house. Both longevity and silage are above average for this kind of fragrance. This is my second fragrance from this house, Sang Bleu being my first, and I would encourage everyone to check their fragrances out, if you get a chance, especially if you like old-school fragrances from the past but with a contemporary twist.

Neroli Portofino, but more juniper and more galbanum, so a little bit more original. So classy.

Reminds me very much of TF Neroli Portofino, that fresh soapy citrus I love (wish I had some to compare side by side, unfortunately it is really short lived and (at least on my skin in fair weather) quickly within minutes becomes a sweet skin scent and eventually a very light but nice cologne base is there if you get really close, definitely worth a sample but I'd rather have the Neroli Portofino, also now interested in trying Neroli Boheme Carolina Herrera

Easily one of the best smelling takes on this classic formula that I've come across so far. Similar to Neroli Portofino, and Colonia Essenza (closer to Essenza) but I prefer this - the mix of green notes and neroli are just spot on for me. Unfortunately, on me, it also has the longevity of 4711.

Very good citrus/neroli frag. In the same way than Neroli Portfofino, but a little more sharp and more strong, obviously, with better performance than Tom Ford. The opening is too citrusy, with a drydown with nome herbs and a lot of Neroli. Good quality and good presence.